This invention concerns an adjustable device for displaying garments so as to realistically simulate the manner in which the garments would be worn.
Museums generally display clothing of earlier eras in collections intended to illustrate historical changes and cultural differences. Much of the clothing of earlier times, especially women's dresses, are extended away from the body at the waistline.
In order to properly display such clothing, it has been common practice to construct separate and special mannequin-like forms upon which articles of clothing may be draped. However, the construction of numerous support forms, each having particular fixed lateral protrusions, height and head and arm structure, is of considerable expense.
Dress-making forms of an adjustable nature have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 236,887; 905,333; 3,866,807; 3,998,366; 4,592,496; and elsewhere. Such forms are generally of complex construction and generally adapted to hold fragments of cloth during the interattachment thereof to form a garment of desired size and shape.
Adjustable mannequins disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,294,295 and elsewhere are adapted to display upper garments, namely those worn above the waistline, and lower garments in life-like presentations. Such mannequins however, generally require the use of expensive molded cavity components of fixed size and shape, and usually lack sufficient positional adjustability to achieve varied poses.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a device for the full length display of garments in their life-like, as-worn appearance.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a device as in the foregoing object having sufficient adjustability to accommodate various styles of clothing in different realistic poses.
It is another object of the invention to provide a device of the aforesaid nature constructed of materials that will not chemically react with the fabric or dye of the garment over long periods of time.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a device of the aforesaid nature of rugged and durable construction amenable to low cost manufacture.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.